Eyebrows from Freak to Fleek | Know Who Can Legally Perform Microblading

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

By: Aly Boeckh

What is it?

Microblading is a semi-permanent cosmetic tattooing treatment that fills in sparse eyebrows. The technique uses a hand-held tool with needles to apply pigments that simulate additional hairs. The color fades over time, and yearly touch-ups are recommended to maintain optimal results.

Microblading is a tattoo technique: The training, tools, and technique are different than what you'd see at a traditional tattoo parlor, but you are still embedding ink underneath the top layers of the skin. A pen-like tool is used to "feather" fine, hair-like lines into the brows.

2- Before the microblading begins, a topical numbing cream is applied to the area to minimize discomfort, followed by a liquid anesthetic. You might feel a slight discomfort but it is almost painless.

Cost

$400 to $1,400 (depending on your location and the artist’s expertise)

How long does the treatment take?

1-2 hours. During you first session (approximately 2 hours), they custom design your brow shape based on your bone structure, eye placement, face shape and other factors. The pigment choice is then selected. Once your shape and pigment are agreed upon, you will then be numbed using a lidocaine cream.

You do not have to hide from the world after your service. Many clients can walk right out the door, ready to show off their new brows. Initially stronger in color your new brows will soften in 2-3 weeks.

How long do the results last?

1-2 years. They will eventually fade away without a touch-up.

Who can safely administer this treatment?

Because this treatment is relatively new to the industry, AmSpa believes most states will vary when it comes to regulation. In the state of California, for example, microblading falls under the definition of body art. Therefore, the individual needs to be at least 18 years old, registered with a local enforcement agency, properly trained on bloodborne pathogens and working in a body art facility that meets health and safety code standards, with a valid health permit.

AmSpa is aware that it is common for estheticians to perform this procedure. In the state of California estheticians may perform microblading as long as they perform the treatment as a tattoo artist, display their tattoo license, and the treatment takes place in a microblading/permanent cosmetics area, away from the esthetic treatments. In Illinois, microblading is considered a form of cosmetic tattooing and is regulated by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Depending on the state, physician supervision might be required. Please check with your local medical board, nursing board, or health care attorney for more information.

Moisturize and grease the skin with a professional specimen (Bepanten, Alantan, Tribiotic), wash the skin with soaked pledget (we can use water with grey soap or micellar water) and dry it right after it.

What else do I need to know?

A follow up appointment is required, usually four to eight weeks after your first appointment. There are a number of factors that affect how well you retain pigment. (Oily skin doesn’t hold onto ink as well as dry skin; if you’re anemic, your body may use iron oxide in the pigment as a supplement and the tattoos will fade faster, she says.) On your second appointment, an artist might go over original strokes to darken them for a client, tweak the shape, or build up sparse brows by layering thinner strokes in between.